“Pagoda Bearer Devaraja Li Jing, I’ll surrender—but only if you release my subjects and swear not to harm a single hair on their heads. Otherwise, I’ll fight you to the death!”

  Sun Wukong’s voice boomed with unyielding defiance, his aura radiating indomitable will.

  Li Jing nodded solemnly. “You have my word.”

  He knew Sun Wukong’s power firsthand. Capturing him without bloodshed would be a monumental achievement. Harming the monkeys, however, would only invite chaos and make him accountable before the Jade Emperor.

  With a cold snort, Sun Wukong tossed his Ruyi Golden-Hooped Rod into the air. It shrank to the size of a needle and vanished into his ear.

  Seeing his surrender, Li Jing gestured to Twenty-Eight Constellations. “Kang Jinlong, pierce his Lute Bone first!”

  Despite Sun Wukong’s compliance, Li Jing wasn’t taking chances. Every immortal, demon, or mortal had two vital weaknesses: the Mud Pellet Palace, where the soul resided, and the Lute Bone, the source of physical strength. Damage either, and even the mightiest would be rendered powerless.

  Kang Jinlong hesitated, his face still bruised from earlier encounters with the Monkey King.

  Sun Wukong laughed mockingly. “Cowards! Too scared to approach even when I stand unarmed? What kind of immortals are you? Go home and nurse your children!”

  “Useless!” Li Jing barked, shoving Kang Jinlong aside. He grabbed two iron chains and strode behind Sun Wukong.

  THUD—

  The chains pierced Sun Wukong’s Lute Bone. He grunted but didn’t resist.

  Relieved, Li Jing secured the second chain and barked orders. “Take the demon to the Heavenly Court for judgment!”

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  As celestial soldiers dragged Sun Wukong away, Xu Fang watched, his eyes bloodshot, his breathing ragged. Despite all his efforts to avert this disaster, Sun Wukong had still fallen.

  “Why? Why surrender?” Xu Fang hissed, stepping close. “You could’ve escaped! I would’ve protected your subjects!”

  “Senior Brother, do you remember our days at Mount Fangcun?” Sun Wukong’s voice echoed in Xu Fang’s mind, a private telepathic link. “I envied you. Master Bodhi always praised you. I thought, if I worked hard enough, maybe he’d praise me too. But no matter how much I tried, the gap between us only grew.”

  His tone turned somber. “When Master Bodhi exiled me to Flower-Fruit Mountain, I resented it. I thought if I achieved something great, he’d finally acknowledge me. But over time, I realized… my fate was never mine to control. You and Master Bodhi scolded me, but it was for my own good. Even my exile was necessary. So I let go, content to roam free.”

  “I’m grateful to Master Bodhi for teaching me divine arts, and to you, Senior Brother, for teaching me responsibility.”

  Xu Fang’s fists clenched as Sun Wukong continued. “Without Master Bodhi, I’d have been reincarnated countless times. Without you, I’d still be a wild monkey, powerful but clueless.”

  “Wukong, you…” Xu Fang’s voice broke. He punched Sun Wukong’s shoulder, his voice a choked whisper. “I didn’t teach you responsibility so you could throw your life away!”

  Sun Wukong laughed, shaking his head. “Senior Brother, you’re overthinking it.”

  He glanced at his trembling subjects. “Before I go, I have one last request.”

  “Name it. I’ll do anything.”

  “In this world, besides Master Bodhi, I trust only you. When I’m taken to the Heavenly Court, please save my captured subjects. Let them live peacefully on Flower-Fruit Mountain.”

  His eyes flicked to Li Jing and the celestial soldiers. “I don’t trust them.”

  Xu Fang nodded, his vision blurring. “I swear it. As long as I live, your subjects will be safe.”

  Sun Wukong grinned. “Thank you, Senior Brother.”

  As the celestial soldiers led him away, Sun Wukong exhaled in relief, a faint smile on his lips. Perhaps this is the only way to keep Senior Brother out of this mess.

  He knew Xu Fang’s temper. If Xu Fang intervened, he’d be no match for the combined might of the Heavenly Court. Sun Wukong couldn’t bear to drag his brother down with him.

  But he underestimated Xu Fang.

  “Martial Star,” Xu Fang commanded, his voice cold as steel. “Seize the monkeys Li Jing captured and return them to Flower-Fruit Mountain.”

  Nearby, Martial Star, who had been anxiously watching Xu Fang, nodded. With the elite Divine Strategy Camp, he stormed the holding area, reclaiming the monkeys and releasing them back to their mountain.

  The Divine Strategy Camp was among the Heavenly Court’s most formidable forces, and with Li Jing’s tacit approval, the operation went smoothly.